On Monday, December 19, 2016, members of the Electoral College will meet in their respective state capitals and cast their votes for the next President and Vice President of the United States. That makes December 19th the real election day this year. The votes will then be sent to the Congress and counted in a joint session on January 6, 2017.
But just who are the electors? And are they screened for conflicts of interest, financial and otherwise?
Politico has highlighted a few of them and some seem, well, a little bit bizarre. But I couldn't find a master list of this closed little group.
However in California, the Secretary of State web site has two lists of California electors, one for candidates on the ballot (pdf) and the other for write-ins (pdf), and describes how electors are selected in the Golden State. A brief extract of that explanation is at the end of this diary, but that short description raises a host of issues. For example, it seems the process of selecting electors can vary widely from state to state as can how the meetings are run, whether or not meeting minutes are public, how votes are recorded, how records are kept if they are kept at all, and so on.
Obviously the Electoral College needs to go be replaced with a direct popular vote, but, in the meantime, the Electoral College should be opened up to full public scrutiny in every state to include:
- posting a consolidated list of the names of the electors from every state and the District of Columbia on one web page (and maybe include their addresses and biographies, too),
- holding all meetings and discussions in public and on line where they can be observed,
- publishing the votes cast by each elector so we know exactly who is responsible for the next President, and
- making sure the Electoral College is subject to a true and full open government act to include keeping full records and posting them on line
Every member of the Electoral College should have spotlights shining brightly on them so we can see exactly who they are and how they vote. C-SPAN does that for Congress. Why not an "E-SPAN" for the Electoral College? If the Electoral College is going to foist the runner up of the popular vote upon us, we should at least have instant access to who its members are and how each one votes.
And if the Electoral College does what looks likely, it will have failed its very reason for existence by doing the exact opposite of what the founding fathers intended: stopping a demagogue, tyrant, or someone who is otherwise unfit from becoming President. Shining bright sunlight on its 51 gatherings might hasten its demise.
How California electors are selected
From the California Secretary of State web site, here is how electors are selected in California:
On or before October 1 of the presidential election year, each party's nominee must file a list containing the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the 55 electors pledges to him/her. Each party determines its own method for selecting electors.
In the Democratic Party, each congressional nominee and each US Senate nominee (determined by the last two elections) designates one elector. Elections Code section 7100
In the Republican Party, the nominees for Governor, Lt. Governor, Treasurer, Controller, Attorney General, Secretary of State, U.S. Senate at the last two elections, Assembly Republican leader, Senate Republican leader, all elected officers of the Republican State Central Committee, national committeemen/women, President of Republican County Central Committee Chairmen's Association, and chair or President of each Republican volunteer organization officially recognized by the Republican State Central Committee (RSCC) shall be electors. U.S. Senators, Representatives in Congress and persons holding office of trust or profit of the U.S. may not be electors. Any additional vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the chair of Republican State Central Committee according to Republican State Central Committee bylaws. Republican State Central Committee Chair must file the list with the Secretary of State by October 1 of the presidential election year. Elections Code section 7300
In the American Independent, Green and Libertarian party electors are nominated at their state convention and the state chair certifies their names and residence addresses to the Secretary of State. Elections Code section 7578
In the Peace and Freedom Party electors are nominated at their state convention. Electors shall be 50% women and 50% shall be men. The party chair certifies the list to the Secretary of State. Elections Code section 7843